Chapter 20 - Ring of Vitality (4)

　　He didn’t have to be so subtle. He could have openly herded monsters toward Sijun’s camp, just as Sijun had shown his own true colors the moment they arrived. As long as he was the one to walk out alive, no one could say a thing. If Sijun had attacked him under some flimsy pretext of being insulted, that’s exactly what he would have done. But he hadn’t, so Buja decided to play on the same level. He had to stay within certain lines to operate as a player, not a monster.

　　He’s looking for an excuse, isn’t he? Buja mused. Sijun was probably recording everything. Live streaming was impossible, but recording footage to take out of the dungeon was simple. Sijun wouldn’t film everything, of course—just cherry-pick the clips he needed to paint whatever picture he wanted. It was a classic move, a way to achieve his goals without getting his own hands dirty.

　　That was why Buja had spent the last week hunting sparingly, moving through the forest with painstaking care. His plan required him to stay out of sight and pick off lone monsters, but finding targets that were isolated yet still close enough to their packs had slowed his progress considerably. The island was large, but the forest was teeming with monsters.

　　“This penalty is no joke,” he muttered to himself.

　　Spending 180 gold to raise his enhancement level had made things easier, but he still had to be extremely cautious. Being capable was not the same as being invincible. If dozens of monsters surrounded him, he would die.

　　But now, the seeds he had so carefully watered and fertilized were finally bearing fruit. Monsters loathed the Monster Repellent Incense, but as the item description noted, it wasn’t foolproof. The very word “repel” implied a choice. Whether monster or human, when faced with something you hate and something you hate even more, you endure the lesser of two evils.

　　The result was a swarm of monsters charging toward a beach saturated with the scent they despised.

　　“Incredible,” Buja breathed.

　　It was about a dozen of them, a number that would have sent Buja running for the hills. But Sijun and his lackeys were preparing for battle. The difference in their judgment was as vast as the difference in their numbers.

　　“They’re actually going to fight that?”

　　Buja shoved a handful of popcorn into his mouth and clicked his tongue. It was a little stale from being in his magic backpack, but it was enough to keep him entertained. This is going to be tough for them.

　　Before he could even offer any silent advice, the battle began. They were slightly outnumbered, but considering the numerous items laid around their camp and their top-tier gear, they might have stood a chance.

　　But these weren’t just any monsters.

　　That huge one must be an elite, he thought.

　　It was a pack led by an elite, and they were all enraged by the deaths of their kin. It was safe to say they were in a frenzy.

　　The two groups clashed. Sijun’s party didn’t crumble on the first exchange. They were well-trained, successfully focusing their attacks to bring down one monster, but it cost them ground. The crazed monsters, far from being intimidated by their comrade’s death, surged forward with renewed ferocity. A head-on fight would become a bloody brawl, and Sijun’s party, who valued their own lives above all else, would inevitably break formation.

　　What will they do? Buja wondered. They’ve cleared a Unique Dungeon before. Surely they can figure something out… if they want to live.

　　Sijun lived up to his expectations.

　　“Wow.”

　　A quick decision. A swift judgment. He might have lucked into his Special-grade class, but as the youngest son of a corporate giant, he didn’t hesitate for a second before shouting to his men.

　　“Run!”

　　[24:00:00]

　　▷ Effect of (L) Wait for Free Gold is now active.

　　▷ Effect of (L) VIP1 Skill: A Gift Every Day! is now active.

　　[You have acquired 3 gold.]

　　[You have acquired ‘VIP1 Attendance Box (2)’.]

　　The midnight system alert chimed in on their sun-drenched chase.

　　CRUNCH.

　　Buja tossed the rest of the popcorn into his mouth and gave chase.

* * *

　　6.

　　The beach had been their sanctuary. The moment they were forced into the dense trees of the island’s interior, Sijun knew they had made a mistake.

　　“Shit.”

　　He should have stayed and fought, win or lose. It was too late for regrets now. A forest filled with the sounds of monsters was no place for humans.

　　“We have to shake them and get back to the camp.”

　　In the chaos of the retreat, they hadn’t been able to grab all their backpacks. They were lucky one player was tasked with carrying the food, or they’d be facing starvation on top of everything else. The only silver lining was that they had managed to shake their pursuers as they fled deeper into the island.

　　“Damn those bastards at the Dungeon Store! How are monsters getting through all that repellent incense?” The thought that the monsters might have developed a resistance after he’d used it so effectively in his first Unique Dungeon didn’t readily cross his mind.

　　The useless worry didn’t last long. A rustle from the nearby bushes made every head snap in its direction. They swallowed hard, preparing for a fight. Combat was always worst when on the run, but hiding left them no choice.

　　“Huh?” a party member gasped.

　　Was it a blessing in disguise? What emerged from the undergrowth was not a monster.

　　“What are you guys doing here?”

　　It was Buja, wearing a poacher’s hat he must have found somewhere, parting the leaves with his dagger to look at them.

　　It was an awkward reunion. Buja surveyed the scene for a moment before getting straight to the point.

　　“Need a hand?”

　　“We don’t need your help,” Sijun spat back immediately. He would rather die than accept help from this man. It was’t just pride; in the past week, Buja’s kill count was a measly eleven. He had no desire to be indebted for such meaningless assistance.

　　“Suit yourself.”

　　With the simple negotiation failed, Buja turned to leave. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps, seemingly without a care in the world, when a monkey monster dropped from a tree and lunged at him.

　　“Look out!” Sijun yelled instinctively.

　　He wanted the man dead, but not right now. If he dies, we’re next. Whether they planned to run or fight, they needed Buja alive. But an ambush is an ambush; by the time you see it, it’s too late. A warning was useless once the monkey’s claws were already descending.

　　"Kieek!"

　　“Oh?” another party member cried out.

　　This might be the end. Just as Sijun and his party were contemplating their own mortality, they saw something unbelievable. Buja ducked, letting the monkey land on his back before he rolled forward, using the momentum to smoothly trap the creature’s body with his legs.

　　“Whoa.”

　　“No way.”

　　The move was so fluid it drew gasps of admiration. Before their awe could fully register, Buja’s dagger plunged into the trapped monkey’s neck. The monster that had appeared so suddenly was dead in seconds.

　　“Well, see you around.”

　　Buja shot them a smirk, as if nothing had happened, and casually walked away. Eight pairs of desperate eyes stared at the stunned Sijun. The forest was silent, not even a leaf rustling in the wind, but he could almost hear their thoughts.

　　We don’t want to die.

　　Sir.

　　We want to live.

　　There was no time to wonder how a man with such skill had only managed to kill eleven monsters in seven days.

　　“Wait!” Sijun yelled. He had no choice but to play the hand Buja had dealt.

　　Buja turned. “Follow me.”

　　The atmosphere was the complete opposite of what it had been a week ago.

* * *

　　The camp on the beach was in ruins, their backpacks shredded.

　　“We salvaged some of it, sir,” a subordinate reported. It wasn’t a total loss, but rebuilding their base and getting a safe night’s sleep was impossible.

　　“We have about two weeks of food left.” In three weeks, they’d be out of rations. Without basic sustenance, clearing the dungeon would become impossible, no matter how skilled they were. The only option left was to clear the dungeon as fast as possible and get out.

　　Seeing the grim reality dawn on Sijun’s party, Buja laid out his terms. “$8,000 per monster.”

　　“What?”

　　“Sixty monsters left, so that’s $480,000. I’ll finish it in five days.” Sijun’s face twisted as he understood. “You’re out of repellent incense and low on food. You were going to have to hunt them yourselves anyway, right? I’m just offering to get you out of this situation faster. If you don’t want the deal, that’s fine by me. I get the ring and earring either way. And I have plenty of food.”

　　Even with most of their supplies destroyed, Sijun’s party was still at full combat strength. If they put their minds to it, they could probably avoid the elite monster and kill the remaining sixty themselves. But there was little reason to do so.

　　“You wouldn’t want that, would you?” Buja continued, his voice dripping with condescension. “If I’m still alive, you’d be doing all the work just for me to reap the benefits.”

　　And killing Buja right here? Sijun wasn’t confident they could pull it off. The memory of how effortlessly he’d dispatched that monkey, the sheer power in his grip, was still fresh in his mind.

　　“I’m obviously not going to party up with you. So decide. Wait it out for five days, or try your luck with the law of the jungle.”

　　It was a checkmate. Sijun gritted his teeth and made his choice.

　　“Fine. Another $480,000.”

　　“Then I’ll trust you to keep your word,” Buja said with a nod. He didn’t actually trust him in the slightest, but it didn’t matter. He had ways of collecting if Sijun tried to back out later. So, he refrained from bruising Sijun’s ego any further.

　　As Buja turned and sprinted back into the forest, a rational suspicion began to form in Sijun’s mind.

　　“Was he the one who lured the monsters?” The pieces of the puzzle started falling into place after the whirlwind of events, and the picture they formed was infuriating. Of course, he had no proof.

　　[Monsters Slain: 21]

　　[Monsters Slain: 22]

　　[Monsters Slain: 23]

　　[Monsters Slain: 24]

　　It was just a guess, based on the fact that the kill count, which had crawled to a mere eleven over seven days, was now climbing every few minutes.

　　And five days later…

　　[☆ You have met the conditions.]

　　[The dungeon will now be cleared.]

　　The Unique Dungeon was cleared with almost laughable ease, without them ever touching the sub-quest conditions. Sijun watched Buja stride toward him, not even bothering to wipe the monster blood from his body.

　　“You… you bastard! You lured those monsters on purpose, didn’t you!” Sijun roared.

　　He may have been a spoiled brat, but he wasn’t an idiot. Growing up as a chaebol’s son, he had seen and heard enough to develop a sharp intuition. You couldn’t survive in a family like his without it.

　　“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Buja said, cleaning his ear with his pinky. He leaned back on one leg, a smirk playing on his lips. It didn’t matter if Sijun had figured it out. The dungeon was cleared. The unexpected disaster he had planned for never happened. And in the end, he had forced Sijun to acknowledge that he was more than capable of clearing a Unique Dungeon on his own. Could there be a better outcome?

　　“Shall we go?” he asked casually.

　　It wouldn’t matter if they attacked him now. He could either defend himself or simply escape. Once the dungeon was cleared, he could leave at any time.

　　Sijun’s eyes darted around frantically, his jaw clenched. Finally, with a look of resignation, he nodded.

　　POOF!

　　One by one, his party members vanished.

　　I wanted to hunt a bit more, Buja thought with a hint of disappointment. But he couldn’t risk Sijun’s party trying something desperate at the last second.

* * *

　　As he stepped out of the dungeon, he was met with a blinding barrage of camera flashes. He saw Sijun, his face a mask of composure as if his earlier fury had never existed, waving to the press. As Sijun started walking toward the reporters for an interview, Buja casually strode up and slung an arm around his shoulders.

　　“Let’s not go back on our word, friend,” he whispered. “I’ve got it all on video.”

　　It was Buja’s trump card, prepared for Sijun’s final, desperate move.

* * *